[ LETTER ]

Wed, Jul 17, 2013 - Page 8

Translation questioned

As someone who finds blatant attacks on Taiwan’s dignity unacceptable, I nevertheless question the veracity of the accusation in your editorial that mentioned Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai (彭帥) as having “interrupted Hsieh [Su-wei (謝淑薇)] during an interview and said that she could not accept that Taiwan is a country” (“Chinese arrogance hits new heights,” July 10, page 8).

If the author of the editorial is referring to this interview from Wimbledon — www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/interviews/2013-07-06/201307071373203770512.html — after Hsieh describes the tennis environment in Taiwan, the interviewer then asked: “But your country...” to which Peng responded, “I’m sorry, because I sit here I cannot say how is country. I’m sorry.”

At best, it is unclear in English what Peng is referring to; it is at least possible that she is referring to the tennis environment in her country, China.

Please double-check the facts and clarify whether Peng indeed meant to insist that Taiwan is not a country, or if she simply meant something else altogether. It would be a shame to tarnish the journalistic integrity of the newspaper over a simple translation misunderstanding.